Jake Gyllenhaal heading for The Way, Way Back

From the writers of The Descendants

Jake Gyllenhaal is in talks to take the lead role in The Way, Way Back , which will be written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, writers of The Descendants .

The pair originally wrote the script in 2007, and it went through the hands of various directors (Alexander Payne, Tom Bezucha), before Faxon and Rash were signed up to direct it themselves.

In what's no doubt a bittersweet, whimsical tale, the story follows a teenage boy over the course of a summer, during which he develops a friendship that helps him to stand up to his bullying stepfather (we're guessing Gyllenhaal, in what would be an interesting new challenge for him).

It's likely that Gyllenhaal's involvement would get the long-stalled project moving again.

Faxon and Rash are probably better known for their day jobs as actors, but they great work translating Kaui Hart Hemmings' novel The Descendants to the screen, and if they can bring the same delicate blend of comedy and heartbreak to this original story, we're there!